Cry for the Dream
by Vixen1
Summary: Co- written by Angelight and Vixen! Those brave enough to oppose her have- and now she'll have her revenge. Or will she? The Darkangels will only tolerate so much... --CH 7 NEW--Written by Vixen--
1. Fall From Grace

Cry for the Dream

~~~ Vixen & Angelight88's Notes: Hey all! We're here co writing a fic! It's going to be fun! Stayed tuned! Our fic will be different, a coalition of both our knowledge of writing, love for Serena and Hiiro as a couple, and love for fanfiction in general. All right, on with the show! ~~~

WE (well, Vixen at least) DO NOT BELIVE IN DISCLAIMERS!

Rating: R - to be on the safe side, neither of us is sure of where this is going. No hentai, but there may be violence and lime, depending.

Chapter One: Fall From Grace

*The humidity in the room was rising each minute. Sweat poured down her forehead, and a few of the salty drops made their way into her eyes, stinging them. Taking only a few seconds to wipe her eyes, she continued with her careful work. Very slowly, she looked at the voodoo doll. Grinning evilly, she slowly ran the doll through the fire once more. And another time. And yet another. When the back of the doll was nicely blackened, she finally let up. 

Relena was a having a wonderful day. Soon she would have gotten rid of the opposition to her new plans for the city. As the city representative, she had to think of what was best for the city. And what was best for the city was for its people to listen solely to her. It was almost too easy, what with her 'influential' power over almost everyone. No one could oppose her idea to tear down the old city and build it up as a new, more technologically sound, social hub. All she had to do was make sure that that girl, that Ami Mizuno, never had the chance to present the defense for the city to remain untouched and as it was at the moment. 

Well, the voodoo doll had taken care of her. She would be in the hospital with burns while the vote was going on. And then no one would be in her way. First the city, then bigger and better things. Relena smiled twistedly to herself. Everything was going according to her plans.

)(

"Thank you so much Ms. Relena Darlian. You have presented your argument to this committee in a very thorough and lucid form. Though it is a shame that Ms. Mizuno is in the hospital, we must continue this meeting. It is time to vote upon the matter. Do we tear down the old city and erect a new one, or do we leave the old city as it is?" The chairman of the committee spoke loudly and forcefully.

"Stop! You can't vote!" A voice interrupted the silence. The room of forty men turned and looked towards the door, each craning his neck to see what he could not. In the doorway stood two boys. Yes, they were not men, but boys, one not yet even in his teens. The one who had spoken before, the older one, stepped forward from the other. "You can't vote just yet!"

"And why is that, Mr.?" Relena sneered.

"Trowa. Trowa Barton." Trowa stepped up to the stand, and the other boy stood on the floor beside him. Relena took a good look at this boy who was opposing her. Russet brown hair framed and shaded the boy's pale face. Piercing green eyes stared intently out over the crowd. He sported a tall and lean figure, and Relena could see he was no weakling physically, nor was he helpless in the form of other worldly arts. The tiny silver clasp at his throat suggested the status of an incredibly powerful mage. 

"Well, then, Trowa Barton." The chairman drawled the name out with incredible ease, yet incredible edgy clip as well. "Tell us why we cannot continue our voting as planned?" Standing, he directed his full attention towards Trowa.

"Simple. Ms. Relena Darlian has been in cahoots with shady characters…"

"Such as?" The chairman asked. The committee members that had been whispering to each other stopped and gave their full attention to the boys.

"Such as Rei Hino, the famous con artist and arsonist." The second boy spoke. Relena turned her attention to him. He was more pleasing to look at. Chaotic chocolate strands of hair hung in his eyes, which were pools of molten sapphire that burned holes through everything they laid upon. His thin lips were drawn into a tense frown, and (his) the tan skin of his face was pale in comparison to the rest of his well-built body. This boy was very young, most likely not even into his teen years, and had no marking of power. No marking of power, yes. Yet he deftly fingered a gun at his side, a shiny, black handgun that Relena had not taken any notice of before. He made no move, not so much as a flinch when the crowd gasped at his mention of Rei Hino.

"And what is your name?" The chairman directed his question at the boy below the stage.

"Hiiro Yui."

"Well then. You two are making some serious accusations. Do you have any proof?" 

"Of course they don't because it's all false!" Relena cried in her own defense. As wonderful an actress as she was, she knew she wasn't going to be able to pull it off this time.

"Unfortunately for you, Ms. Darlian, we have hardcore evidence that will work against you." Trowa announced. A hush fell over the crowd once more as they watched the boys intently. Trowa produced a batch of pictures from his pocket. "There's more. Once she had persuaded you to renovate the city, she was going to make off with all of the funds raised for the renovation costs. Most likely to another city, in which case she would repeat this same process for more cash." Trowa finished.

" She is also responsible for Ami Mizuno's condition in the hospital." Hiiro added; pulling out the voodoo doll Relena had put in a safe. She gasped at the sight of it. It had been an unbreakable safe. And now these two boys had broken in and destroyed her chances at domination.

"Relena Darlian. You deny these accusations, yet we have proof against you. How do you plead?" The chairman broke the heavy silence plaguing the humid room.

"Not guilty." She crossed her fingers. This was her last chance, the final stand to save her reputation.

"Really?" Trowa smirked. Hiiro simply removed his gun from its holster and bean spinning it around his finger. "Re-really." She stammered. Try as she might, she was losing her cool.

"Ms. Darlian, allow me to give you some advice." The chairman finally spoke. "Run. Very long and very far. Leave this city and leave us. We want no part in your scams and black magic." Relena, hearing the man's tone of voice, backed away, then turned to run. She had become a lowly coward. Her reputation was soiled, and her future had been ruined. As she left, she took one last look at the two boys who had ruined everything for her.

"Just remember. You haven't seen the last of me, Trowa, Hiiro! Revenge will come in a way you will least expect it!" And she truly meant it. 

It had taken Relena a few days in hiding to figure out her newest plans for revenge. Still, after the many years that had passed, she knew in the end all of her efforts would pay off. Once her… preparation … task was complete, revenge would be sweeter than any candy she had ever tasted. It had only taken her ten years. Ten long years of brainwashing, memory erasing, training, and plotting, and now, finally, revenge would be upon those who had destroyed her.

)(

"No, no! You're still getting it wrong! You need to lift from your knees and legs, not your back!"

"All right, that's it! You know something Duo Maxwell? You do this. You seem to have all of the answers anyhow!"

"But if I do it for you, Serena Barton, you'll never learn how to do it on your own." Two figures, a man and a young woman, stood in the middle of a room. The man was watching the young woman desperately trying to move a grand piano. The young woman looked over her friend skeptically. His brown hair was waist length and pulled into a neat braid behind him. His violet eyes held mirth and a touch of evilness within them. Duo Maxwell was the same as his eyes- a happy, upbeat, evil man.

"Learn how to do it on my own? I think you're forgetting who is the top agent around here. Look here Maxwell, brother dearest. Help me, or I'll kill you. Simple as that." She smirked. Duo watched his friend and partner smirk, and sister. Her long sun kissed hair shimmered silver. Deep indigo eyes and her blackish, ruby red pouting lips contrasted heavily against her pale skin. He gulped. He had no doubt she would follow through with her threat if he didn't help her. Serena Barton was a deadly beauty. So he got behind the piano next to her and began shoving. But both of them had neglected to remember who, or rather what, they were. Within mere seconds, black tangled with black, and their wings had the domino effect of knocking them over. As they sat untangling from each other, they laughed. Figured. All they wanted to do was move a piano. They could never 'just do' something. It always ended up wrong somehow. Still, life was good. Life was fun. Life was… 

"Serena! Duo!" The White Witch was calling them. *


	2. A Family By Name Alone

Chapter Two: A Family By Name Alone 

*Since when were all mothers loving, kind, and warm? Serena still wanted to know. At the age of fourteen, she had been living in this desolate, abandoned, and _cold_ castle ever since she could remember. The high ceilings and majestic arches still intimidated her. The walls of a substance unknown to her caused the temperature to go below freezing but kept the murky water surrounding them at bay. Almost the entire, icy, and transparent castle was underwater -- a few spires protruded from the dark waters. She desperately tried to brush away the fear that threatened to flood her and glanced at her fellow partner in crime, brother by blood, Duo.

He wasn't afraid at all. In fact, if it weren't forbidden, she could swear he would be whistling by now. Duo was ... fearless almost. Not the type that results from ignorance but rather from the certainty that all should fear him. Serena herself was different. Serena worried. Serena feared. Serena ... _felt_. Her mother had nonchalantly commented that some long dormant gene in the family had made itself known once again in Serena, earning her the official title of 'family oddball.' The fair-featured, dark-winged girl scowled at the unpleasant memory and buried it in the furthest reaches of her mind. 

The nickname 'Squiget', derived from squirt and midget, had inevitably surfaced and taken its place. Next to Duo's 5'6", her mother's 5'3", and even little Hotaru's 5'1", she did indeed feel like a 'squiget.' So what if she was only 4'11" ?" 

Entering the receiving room, the place where the meager interactions between mother and children occurred, they sat down and patiently waited for the appearance of the missing sibling and their elusive mother. Of course, she spoke for herself -- Duo was rarely patient and even faced with the wrath of the White Witch, he fidgeted and twitched.

Finally, a lone figure appeared at the end of the hall that connected the receiving room to the guest chambers. As the figure gradually got closed in on the two other occupants of the room, they could see her intense features. 

Dark hair graced by purple highlights framed a thin, pallid face. Deep-set eyes that were usually clear and attentive were glazed over by exhaustion and seemed grotesquely large when compared to her other features. A straight nose, pale lips, and stubborn chin gave the impression that she was a soul fighting a losing battle, barely able to keep a small wisp of a life in her. Dark wings, just like the ones Duo and Serena wore, sprouted from her frail shoulders. Too many wings to count - at least a dozen, six on each side. Wings as dark as the night, no, darker, for it seemed to swallow the light around it and not give any back.

Duo jumped up with a cheerful greeting and Hotaru smiled faintly before following their example and sitting in a nearby chair, draping her wings over the back. A faint frown flittered onto Serena's face as Hotaru practically sank, but at the last moment restrained herself, into the chair and took on an energized posture. 

"You are all here. Good." A delicate voice filled the room. Out of the corner of her eye, Serena saw Duo tense and then shakily relax as the temperature of the vast hall dropped by a not-so-delicate 10 degrees. The owner of the voice smiled genially at her dark jewels, her children, and nodded as cornflower blue eyes scanned Serena and Duo before skipping to Hotaru. 

She was enchantingly and almost icily beautiful. As far as Serena was concerned, she always dressed in white. Where the dark wings sprouted from her own teenage shoulders, fairy wings sprouted from the Witch's. The Witch was so fair and so dainty and she had once wondered how such a concentrated amount of beauty was bestowed upon one person without the intervening of magic. 

"Why are you here, Hotaru?" the delicate voice took a dangerous turn. Though she tried to smile, it was quite obvious that inside, she was livid with anger. The White Witch pursed her lips and suddenly, she wasn't so perfect anymore. Cutting in before the youngest in the room could answer, the Witch waved an impatient hand in her direction, indicating that she should leave. Very quickly.

The girl addressed got up and threw the Witch a look of tired defiance before striding down the hall. When she was out of eyesight, the distant sound of heavily flapping wings was heard. Hotaru was gone.

"Now, sweethearts, I have a small assignment for both of you which you'll most likely have no trouble completing whatsoever." The voice was once again sweet and endearing. Serena eyed her mother admiringly. Her mother had always been a fair, intelligent, kind, and yet, evil. The woman gave her the impression of concealed danger - danger covered with a thick layer of white, powdery sugar. Serena quickly pushed the treasonous thoughts away and forced herself to pay attention to the now honeyed voice of the White Witch.

)(

Her first assignment. She knew she should feel proud and excited -- that was certainly how Duo had felt, obvious from his dancing eyes and skipping gait, but instead, she found herself quaking with fear and pushing away an uneasy feeling that was reminding her of something she had forgotten. What was there to be scared of? She was raised well… After all, the mandatory exercises that her mother had created did well to keep her beyond a normal level of awareness. That, coupled with the knowledge that what she would do would benefit mankind, and womankind, was enough to make the average person unstoppable. However ... there was something wrong. She had never felt quite right around her mother, as much as she adored her. The Witch was secretive and mystic. To this day, the name of her mother hadn't made its way into this household. The White Witch had promised them all that the day they reached the sixteenth year of their lives, her name would be revealed but refused all other attempts to wheedle it out of her. 

And these exercises. They simply weren't humane. At the infant age of 3, they were all taught how to break the wings of the tiny bats that flittered about in abandoned hallways. Their lessons progressed from that to torturing lizards, then birds, and so on. As a 7-year-old, Duo had questioned the Witch on this subject and from then on, the phrase 'we must be cruel to be kind' was repeated daily, taking on as much importance as bedtime prayers. 

So what was this task that was so incredibly simple? She had to murder, or as her mother put it, eliminate somebody. He was young, thriving at the age of 15, and went by the name ... what was it? Anyway. This boy, though supposedly naive, is said to have an overwhelming amount of influence in today's society and politics. Apparently, too much influence brought about vanity and this teenager is making dealings with persons of ... questionable integrity. Why shouldn't she get rid of him? That would save a lot of people the pain and suffering that he would inevitably deal out. She unfolded and refolded her wings in confusion before quickly exiting her room in search of Duo. Ah yes, the boy's name was Quatre. Quatre Raberba Winner. 

)(

He let his braid swing carelessly. The room was arranged in such a way that a with even a 'flick' of his powerful wings, he wouldn't knock miscellaneous items over so what could a braid do? The room was large - probably the resting chamber of some important personage back when there were inhabitants. It suited him nicely. Duo felt a smile creep up on his face and let it. His first task, and he absolutely could not wait another minute. 

Of course the sibling of higher rank, Serena, would get the more vital mission, but it was absolutely not fair that she got to start first hers too. He resisted the urge to whine and instead stomped his left foot childishly. It simply wasn't fair. The braided boy paced about some more before walking through the doorway and down the hall, in the direction of Serena's chambers. Well, he had never been the patient type. He shrugged carelessly, one definite thing upon his mind -- Serena would know how to keep him busy. *


	3. Preparing for the Mission

Chapter Three: Preparing for the Mission

*"Hey Sere! What's going on?" He flung open the door and walked blindly into the room, a casual and cheerful smile on his face. He walked straight back out, more pale than usual and no longer laughing. Throughout the empty castle a loud, high-pitched scream shattered glass.

"Duo!" Was the subject of the screaming voice. 

"Sorry! Sorry!" And he was sorry. His hands were covering his face, his skin was ghostly white. He stood with his hands covering his face for a moment before slowly splitting his fingers. Grinning like a child on Christmas morning, he maliciously poked his head back into the room. "But Sere, it's not like I haven't seen any of it before…" Four gunshots went off in a meek reply. "Alright, alright, I got it, I'm going, I'm gone!"

"And don't come back without knocking!" She called after him. Jesus Mary and Joseph. She had one heck of a brother. If they hadn't grown up together, she might have shot him years ago. He would certainly deserve it too, after all the hell he put her through. After all the teasing and torturing, and nicknames- she shuddered thinking about Squiget- and invasion of privacy. 

Though Serena knew that he was what a brother was, loud, annoying, and disgusting, she couldn't shake the feeling that he was more than what a brother should be. Well, of course he was. Both of them were not brother and sister by blood, but by DNA splicing. Both had been experiments at a lab, and both had been rescued by the White Witch. How, they could not remember. But ever since then, they had had a close bond that kept them together. 

She sighed, frustrated and angry at herself. Damn! She needed to stop thinking about such useless things like her crazy brother and get down to the real work. Her job was to kill Quatre Winner. Apparently, this man, Winner, had been advocating to instate child-working laws. How outdated could he possibly get? Her mother had taught her differently. Children liked to work. They liked helping their parents in factories, and they liked their jobs. Winner wanted to stop all of the fun the children were having. How dare he? Still, Serena couldn't help but wonder.

When she and Duo were younger, she had hated being stuck inside all day. Breaking bat wings had been fun, she guessed, but the real fun had been when she and Duo were allowed outside in the sun for an hour each day. If she and Duo had liked being free, why wouldn't other children? But her mother was always right. If she said children liked to work, then they truly must have like working, and she was going to stop Quatre Winner from taking away the children's right to have fun.

Suddenly guilt flooded her. How could she do this? How could Serena even begin to question the White Witch? She was their mother, their keeper, the only one that loved them. How dare she question her mother's opinions! It was treasonous! She mentally berated herself for her foolish thoughts. Suddenly a knock came on the door. 

"Come in." The door opened and the light was sucked out of the room. Instantly Serena knew who it was. "Hello Taru. Sit."

"Hello Sere." A tired voice allowed a little pain through.

"Did you receive the treatment once again?" Serena asked, suddenly very concerned. Hotaru was like her and Duo, but she had been rescued from the same DNA lab after them. Their mother did not favor her because of her health problems and inability to make the cut in their physical training.

"Yes."

"Come on then, lay down and let me fix you up. I can't have my little one going around all cut up and bleeding, now can I?" Hotaru gave her a brave smile and shook her head. Then, laying very gently on the bed, she allowed Serena to lift off her shirt and attended to the whip wounds on her back.

"Why does she do this Serena? I'm her daughter too." Hotaru asked, not with depression in her voice, but complete and utter confusion.

"We must be cruel to be kind Taru. She simply wishes to teach you a lesson, which will ultimately help you in the end. Remember, we must never question her authority, mother knows best."

"So she does. What did she want to speak to you and Duo about?"

"We have our first missions. We are to kill- eliminate a few men in the government that wish to harm children's rights." 

"Those government men are so blind to the truth. Harming children's rights… it's a good thing you and Duo will be there to stop them I suppose."

"Yes. I suppose."

"Wait, Serena. Don't tell you're thinking this mission isn't worth it!"

"No, it is! I merely… don't know when Mr. Winner will be all alone so that I can strike him without being seen is all."

"So his name is Winner?"

"Quatre Raberba Winner. I leave tonight for the kill. Duo leaves tomorrow night to kill one of Winner's friends, Wufei Chang. We have to kill them different nights, so it looks like the same person did it, not just one. Otherwise, if people find out there's more than just one person like us out there, then they will begin looking for us."

"So by sending one a night they'll only look for one?"

"Hmm. Your back is done." Hotaru sat up. 

"Thanks Sere. Good luck on your mission."

"Thank you little one. Take care while I'm gone not to upset her anymore. I won't be here to bandage you up."

"Alright." As Hotaru left the room, the A glowing light neared it. 

"Hello Serena, my darling sweetheart."

"Mother." Serena bowed deeply in respect for the White Witch. 

"Are you ready for your first assignment?" 

"Yes mother, I am."

"And You have everything you'll need? Weapons, potions, and your coat for hiding your wings?"

"Yes, I have everything."

"Serena. Do not fail me. This is more important than you could ever imagine. Kill Quatre Winner and you will make me proud of you."

"I will not fail you mother. Ever."

"Good. Then, take your leave of our home dear one, fly swift and true, and complete the task I have set at hand for you." With that, the White Witch vanished in a bright light, leaving Serena alone with her thoughts. 

I love my mother. I will not fail my mother. Even if it means murder… eliminating someone. With that, she fluttered her shadowy wings and began to hover in the cool, empty air. She stopped and landed briefly on the windowsill, looking back behind her one last time. Then, she turned ahead. Her future was ahead. All that she was leaving was her past, and once she took the last step, she could never go back. Not that she could now even if she wanted to. But this was the finality of her destiny. She jumped.

Down she fell, the air screaming and whistling in her ears. Finally she spread her large demonic wings and beat them hard, until they raised her high in the moonless sky. The hunt had begun.*

~~~So? How is that? Did I capture what you wanted her to be like? I hope so… And I think I did Hotaru ok too. If you don't think I have it, right, just tell me so I can change it to fit what you think she should be like. I didn't write Duo in too much… I'm not very good with him… but I don't know. Was the DNA thing ok? I figured the White Witch could tell them they were DNA altered, but in reality she did it with a spell and potion or something. I don't know. Write back soon, ja! -Vixen


	4. The Three Perfections

Chapter Four: The Three Perfections

* Landing upon the roof, Serena folded her dark wings back and, upon hearing the whistling of a patrolman, hastily stuffed them into a magically tweaked trench coat, wincing as a couple of feathers came off in her hands. That done, she started making her way down off of the roof, berating her lack of foresight. Circles of light characteristic of flashlights danced in bored circles on the well-kept lawn as another man laughed at the whistling one and started singing along to "The Eensy Weensy Spider".

She rolled her eyes at the sheer stupidity of the men and scooted to the edge of the roof, glancing apprehensively down at the drain pipe that ran to the ground. Ironically, despite being able to fly, Serena absolutely detested and feared heights. 

The lights danced away around the corner of the house, and she testily reached over to nudge the pipe, making sure it was attached to the side of the house and firmly. Biting her lip, she moved until her legs hung off of the roof and her upper body supported her dangling weight. Her legs wrapped firmly around the pipe, and she gave a short sigh of relief before slowly shimmying down, mindful of the windows close to her left side. Hitting the ground, she allowed a moment to collect herself and glanced up at where she had been, three stories too high. 

Voices to her right reached her ears, faint but measurably increasing in volume, still on the spider song.

"The eensy weensy spider went up the waterspout."

The eensy weensy Serena went down the drain pipe.

)(

Duo sighed and tapped the desk, rather bored. His violet eyes were cold but enchanting as he surveyed the estate's grounds from the window in front of him, noting the shadows of the night and missing Serena horribly.

It truly wasn't fair that Serena always got the favor, the choicest slice of the kill. As much as he tried to console himself, Duo hated being beaten by a girl, even if that girl was his sister. In fact, he hated it almost as much as weakness. 

He disliked how the White Witch allowed Serena's close relationship with Hotaru to slide while he was allowed absolutely no access to the youngest member of their family. Not that he wanted any, of course. Hotaru was weak and sickly, traits that he had been taught very early on in life to shun. He looked down upon Hotaru and was severely annoyed that Serena cared for her so much. The girl should have been put out of her misery long ago.

But Mother believed in mercy. Mother believed in all things good and kind and pure. It was the one trait that Mother hadn't managed to engrain in his character; the one trait that Serena had over him.

And he hated that. 

)(

"Quatre, you _must_ stop doing that!" Iria Winner sighed irritated as she opened the front door and stepped in. Her indigo eyes met Quatre's sky blue ones, and she felt her heart soften. There was no way she could scold him now.

"Doing what?" She shot him a look and headed towards the kitchen. He followed.

"How many times have I told you to _stop_ leaving the door unlocked at night?"

"But there's nothing wrong with it!" Quatre blinked at her- so naïvely that she almost slapped her forehead out of frustration.

It had always been her and her sisters' duty to protect their little brother, the Winner heir, the miracle child. All twenty-nine of them had banded together after their Mother and Father's deaths and took turns taking care of Quatre, but she and Quatre had become particularly close. 

They had coddled him and spoiled him. In fact, if Quatre hadn't met the Maguanacs, he would never have grown up. Not that she or any of her sisters would have minded. But even after the baby of the family had matured and became a charming and respectable political and business figure, she and all twenty-eight of her sisters still sheltered him. Iria sighed. 

And here was the proof of Quatre's overly protected life. "Yes there is a problem with that! Especially since you have a habit of shouting 'come in!' to whoever knocks!" She groaned and poured herself a cup of apple juice. 

Quatre merely smiled. He loved his sisters, all of them, truly and selflessly, but at times, they all could be so aggravating. He hated it when they commented on his actions and the people he hanged around. He hated it when they showed up at the door without announcing themselves and snooped around in his room. And he absolutely hated it when they picked favorites out of the women who wanted to marry him.

But couldn't they understand that man was by nature good? Couldn't they understand that he had every belief that God planned everything out and if he should die then he would?

"I'm getting a security system for you the instant I find time."

"I have the Maguanacs."

Iria dwelled upon this for a moment and had to toss in the towel. The argument had always come down to this and always ended with Quatre winning because she simply couldn't find any possible way that the Maguanacs might fail. Knowing Rashid and his style… It just wasn't something that would ever happen. Ever.

A delicate knock sounded at the door. Quatre smiled and shouted, "Come in!"

)(

There were many things that the White Witch absolutely loathed, but it all boiled down to one word: imperfection. She raged over it night after night and had battled with it ever since she was a child. 

Relena Peacecraft had abhorred her sandy hair and boring blue eyes. She had disliked her imperfect parents and unsatisfying schoolmates. But the instant she had found the key to becoming something better, greater - something perfect - she had reached for it. And got it.

As the White Witch, nothing was impossible and everything was hers. She had cloaked herself in an aura of sun-spun hair and electric blue eyes. She had easily gotten rid of her parents. And she had managed to get a hold of one perfect child: Serena. 

Even the name spoke of perfection. Serena was all her dreams personified, an impossibility made possible. Serena was the flawless work she had dreamt of for so very long.

But it had taken her long, long, years of tinkering with magic and science. Serena became both genetically and magically altered. It wasn't easy working past the effects of Serena's alcoholic mother, but it had been done. She had went there and beyond.

Duo Maxwell had been another orphan she had chanced upon in the streets, a mess of filthy hair and bright violet eyes. She had only decided to keep him in order to keep as a companion for Serena. Still, at first the violet eyes had almost swayed her into making him her pet project. But Duo was impatient, loud, foolhardy, and, unfortunately, the list went on.

Hotaru Tomoe wasn't ever meant to have been anything. The girl only proved to be useful as a guinea pig. A lab rat at the most. Relena twisted her perfect mouth to the side as if she had tasted something bad. She hated to think about anything imperfect.

To the White Witch, there were only three perfect things in the world: her magic, Serena… And Hiiro Yui. 

She already possessed two. And she was going to possess all three. *

~~~Ok Guys! Angel wrote this chapter- and it's a work of art! Review and tell her what a dear she is and how wonderful a writer she is!~~~

Ps: Vixen says hi!


	5. Assassins Alive

Chapter Five: Assassins Alive

*Quatre heard the door open and close, then silence fell upon the room. It was almost as if no one had knocked on the door to begin with. What was going on? Sighing, he stood and grimaced. Maybe it had simply been his imagination. He was too tired, he needed to…

"Not one sound, not one movement, or I'll slit your throat." A dark, deranged voice echoed through the halls. 

And very slowly, Quatre turned on his heel, his face contorting in a horrible effort. Finally, he could withstand the pressure no more. Breaking out in hearty peels of laughter, he grinned and amiably approached the stranger who had entered the room. 

"Trowa Barton! Trowa, Trowa, Trowa! How are you?" 

"Quatre." The figure acknowledged him, putting away the large knife he had been wielding. "You should lock your doors at night. One of these days you'll regret being so damn trusting of the human race."

"Trowa, you worry too much. Maybe you should be a little more trusting—you'd be surprised at what people can teach you." Quatre smiled tiredly. 

"Unfortunately, Quatre, I cannot afford to be as trusting as you. In fact, you can't really afford the risk at the moment either." Trowa grimaced, and Quatre's face quickly became stone hard, smile gone and replaced with a frown. Deep worry lines that had long ago been etched into his brow appeared, and he looked as though he had instantly aged ten years. 

"Trowa? I should have known something was wrong when you showed up after nearly ten years of minimal contact. What's happened?"

"The White Witch has been growing in power over these last few years, as you well know."

"Of course. I hired you to keep a close eye on all movements of the woman Relena Darlian, who has since change her name to simply the 'White Witch'."

"And you know that even I, with all my power and spells as a sorcerer, could not track down that voodoo hag."

"Yes." Quatre nodded, fully understanding Trowa's words. More than anyone, Quatre knew how dearly Trowa wished he could hunt down the White Witch and bring her to justice. Quatre remembered the day Trowa had walked into his house, a beaten and tried man.

(~~)

_"Trowa? What happened? Did you apprehend Darlian?" Trowa looked up, and Quatre saw tears streaming down his face. "Jesus Trowa, what happened!"_

_ "Yui and I tracked her to a small town where she had almost completed another of her government plots. We were able to stop her." Trowa sobbed._

_ "Where is she? Jail, where she belongs? Trowa—was Yui…?"_

_ "No, he's fine. She got away after we stopped her. But she didn't get away with nothing. Quatre, she took her!"_

_ "Took who?" Now Quatre was even more concerned for the well being of his friend. Trowa Barton was one of the most experienced sorcerers, even for his age. He had seen it all, done it all, been through it all. But if Trowa was crying, then something must have been lost that had been more important to him than life itself._

_ "My sister. That witch stole my little sister!" As Trowa boomed his voice, the walls and very floor beneath them began to shake, and a vase that had been on display in the hallway could be heard as it fell to the floor and shattered. "She stole my baby sister." Trowa sobbed. All Quatre could do was lay a hand on his good friend's shoulder._

_ "We'll find her Trowa. Relena won't get away with it this time."_

(~~)

"But even now, though we do not know the whereabouts of the Witch herself, we have, however, learned that she is sending out two assassins. Quatre, one of them is after you."

"After me? What for?"

"Quatre. You are the one who funded our hunt of Relena Darlian, and since then you have sent out as many legislative bills as you can against everything she wanted to accomplish. You've ruined her, for all intensive purposes. Sure, Yui and I do your dirty work, but _you_ reap the benefits. She wants _you_ dead."

"She's mad!" Quatre cried. Trowa looked at him pointedly.

"Obviously."

"Who is the other assassin after?"

"Chang Wufei."

"Another advocate against Darlian."

"Yes. You and Chang together have closed the books on her operation. Both assassins should be striking soon. The information we had told us tonight would be your assassination, tomorrow Chang's. We aren't, however, sure who she's sent, or what time. I'm here to stop your assassin."

"Thanks Trowa."

"Which is why you should lock your door more often." Trowa smirked.

"Why don't we barricade ourselves in my downstairs office? No windows, one door, no chimney, and you can hear just about everything coming."

"Fine." Trowa nodded. The two men walked off towards the office—Quite oblivious to the fact that there had been a petite figure standing silently in the shadows, watching, waiting. 

Serena had thought the opportune moment had come the moment Quatre Winner had been alone. And then that man, that 'Trowa', had appeared, with news of her mission. How was it that he had found out about her assassination attempt? What information had leaked? The only people that lived with them were herself, Duo, Hotaru, and her Mother. 

How it happened, she finally came to the conclusion, was not important. She remembered the name Trowa from somewhere. Perhaps he had been mentioned by her Mother as a possible roadblock to her plans. Well, if he had, she wouldn't be tangoing with him until she was absolutely certain of his abilities. A sorcerer? Duo!

Serena had to scrub her mission and tell Duo to as well! Otherwise, Duo would be caught by this Yui fellow. Never before had she heard his name, but if it was associated with Trowa, Quatre, and Wufei, then he must be a danger to them as well.

As quickly as she could, Serena made for the window she had crept through, and scaled the roof. Over the wall and into the night she fled, only the sound of leather whipping about her softly echoing through the empty, black night.

Once she had gotten out of the way of the major arteries and public buildings, Serena made her way to the boat docks. The night air was damp with the salty air, and the small waves of the evening tide coming in lapped gently against the pillars of the pier. In the distance she heard the vague throaty calls of the sea lions as they settled in for the night.

Searching for an empty warehouse, she quickly found one and stepped inside. After checking the house over from top to bottom twice to make certain it was deserted, Serena settled down and pulled out a mirror. She would take care of these minor inconveniences right now, instead of waiting to get home. Tapping on the mirror gently, it became bright green.

"The White Witch" She whispered. Immediately, the mirror swirled, green becoming a rich blue, and then royal purple until it finally revealed what she wished to see.

"Serena." Her Mother's blinding smile greeted her. "You have completed your mission so soon?"

"Mother." Serena's head hung with shame. "I have not yet attempted my mission." Serena muttered. There was nothing she hated worse than letting her Mother down, nothing felt worse than failing her Mother.

"What do you mean, you have not yet attempted the mission? How much clearer need I be? Kill Quatre Winner Serena."

"Mother, there was a man at his home this evening. He knew I was coming. He knew I was going to be there to attempt the assassination. Winner called him Trowa. I thought the name sounded familiar, so I bailed, in case I was not to interfere with him in any way."

"Trowa!" Serena looked at her Mother in awe. Never before had her Mother looked so… frightened. She was terrified, and all of this one man, this Trowa.

"Yes Mother, Trowa. But it doesn't stop there. They also knew that Duo was going to attempt to kill Chang Wufei tomorrow night. A man named Yui was to be sent there to foil the plans."

"Hiiro Yui." Her Mother whispered. Serena saw a wistful look grace her Mother's face, and then one of spite. "So they think they know, do they? Well, there's been a slight change in plans Serena. My dear, dear child. You are to head to Chang Wufei's home tonight and murder him. Before Hiiro Yui arrives. Duo will be sent to deal with Winner at a later date."

"And what if I run into Yui tonight?" Serena asked.

"Assassinate Chang Wufei Serena, I don't care how you do it." The White Witch clipped. Serena nodded. 

"Yes Mother, I understand." Serena nodded. It didn't matter whether Yui was there or not, she was to kill Chang Wufei. Well, this shouldn't be too much of a problem. She was used to quick changes in plans, this would be no different. Get in, kill, and get out.

Putting the mirror away quickly, Serena stood. Chang Wufei lived ten blocks from the Capital Building. That was ten minutes away from these docks. Flying, she would be there within the hour. Smiling darkly, Serena stood. Removing her ankle length leather coat, she stretched her black wings to their full length. Eight feet to each side, her wings fluttered and flapped as she readied them. On again went her coat, and her wings slipped through the enchanted holes in the back. And then she was gone, in a flurry of feathers and swiftness.

Over the docks she passed a few men who had gotten a little too drunk and decided to take a trip to the sea, and still a few more who were working to unload a cargo boat that had pulled into port only moments before. Once she was up in the dusty fog, she had an easy time flying low and still retaining her secrecy.

Over the Capital Building she flew, and as she passed by, she made she to frown and stick her tongue out at the past Presidents and famous people who were permanently displayed outside the Building in stone and cement. They were the cause of her Mother's discomfort, thus the bane of her existence. 

Finally Serena reached the house she had been searching for and landed with the greatest of ease just inside the tall black, rod-iron gate that had been erected to keep insane and murderous people out. People with intentions like her very own. Serena smirked, then licked her lips in anticipation of the completion of her mission. Her Mother would be so proud! The only real draw back was that she did have to kill. Kill. She shuddered. No. She had been trained for this from the time her Mother, the White Witch, had adopted her, and she would not fail. 

Quietly, as if she were a tiger stalking her prey, she slipped through the yard and up to the walls of the house. The white stucco was a small drawback— she stood out as she leaned against it in her black—but it was a minor inconvenience. She would not be around anyone place long enough for it to make much of a difference. She would perhaps be more worried if the White Witch hadn't been able to destroy her shadow permanently.

Serena quickly surveyed the situation, and decided the best way in would be through the open window on the second floor of the house. If she was very lucky, it would be Chang Wufei's window left open for the night. If she was not, it would simply mean a little more prowling would be needed.

Shifting slowly, she allowed her wings to lift her to the balcony, and then over the rail. Landing gracefully, she slipped silently into the room, palming a large silver dagger in one hand, and a shorter, more mobile knife in the other. Looking down at her hands, she changed her mind, and slipped the little one into her army boot. Nodding in surety of herself, she then slipped around the room. No one was inside, though it was apparent that it was very well indeed Chang Wufei's bedroom. The personal effects that sat on the dressers were proof enough of that.

Finally Serena swept into the hallway, slowly and sure-footedly. It was obvious that Chang was downstairs—the only lights in the house were on downstairs. But Serena never saw the figure cloaked in black sneaking up behind her. She never heard a sound, and, she never saw a thing as she was knocked out from behind. *

~~~Haha! Proud of me? I've finally got a new chapter of this out! Now it's Angel's turn! Please review and tell us what you think so far!!! Much love, Vixen~~~


	6. Big Brother Right?

Chapter 6: Big Brother- Right?

*Wufei looked up and tried to hide his anxiety as Hiiro quietly entered the study and soundlessly closed the door after him. He didn't meet the politician's eyes as he walked to the chair opposite of the computer desk and sat. The ticking of the clock continued with no sound to drown it out. Wufei felt like taking the pen in his hand and aiming it at Hiiro Yui's forehead. 

"Anything?" 

Hiiro finally looked up. He held up an object in his hand. "This is all I found on her. A mirror." 

Wufei stared at it but made no attempt to reach for it. "There's a symbol on it … I've seen that type of mirror before…"

Hiiro nodded, face still a bland mask of indifference. "Trowa had one. It's used for communication but it's only accessible to one person. Only that woman can use it effectively to speak to the person on the other side of this mirror." 

"Strange … you don't see those around much these days. Are they difficult to set up?" Wufei leaned back in his chair and eyed the man opposite of him. He was hardly any younger than Hiiro and yet he was the one being protected like some weak, useless brat. He felt stupid and powerless, staring on as if he were just a symbol, a puppet that was incapable of doing anything.

"They're not difficult … they're just obsolete. It's complicated to set them up. It takes time and the ends don't justify the means." Hiiro turned the mirror over and narrowed his eyes frustratedly. "Nothing else can be deduced from it."

"Oh," Wufei responded inanely. He frowned. It was well past midnight and the clock's hands smugly indicated a 2:45. "So what do we do now?" It was a weak question, a question that a child would ask his mother. Resentment pressed down heavily on his chest as he continued staring at the young man opposite of him. 

For a moment, Wufei thought he saw Hiiro's lips twitch up. "We wait until she comes to kill you." 

(~~)

Duo sighed and closed his eyes briefly, feeling the faint comfort of sleepiness closing in on him but ignoring it. His fists clenched and his wings twitched. He felt restless and it was tiring to draw in air. Biting his lip, he leaned back and stared at the ceiling.

How long ago was it since the White Witch had contacted him via his compact mirror? He pursed his lips. It wasn't until the mirror had returned to its normal, placid silver that he came up with a reply to her terse order for him not to go after Chang Wufei. She didn't offer an explanation or even drop hints and her usually calm and serene expression was disturbed by the faint frown and thinning of her lips. 

He could easily deduce that something had gone wrong with Serena's part of the mission and though he was certain the uneasy feeling biting at his heels was due to his concern for her, Duo was also frighteningly aware that somewhere inside, happiness was bubbling up. He was happy Serena had messed up. Of course, the last thing in the world he wanted to happen was for her to die but … frankly he didn't mind if she got a little bit maimed. He wanted desperately for her to taste fear and failure and the White Witch's wrath; he wanted desperately for her to fall out of favor. 

Duo looked down as his hands on the table through half-lidded eyes and felt a small smile curve his lips. He wanted to hurt her and then heal her, to make her bleed and then chase away the pain. It was strange. He was strange.

He shuddered at his thoughts and shook his head harshly, his heart's loud thumping suddenly chasing all previous thoughts from his mind. His hands gripped the edge of the table with such vehemence that his arms shook. He didn't know what he was thinking. There was no way he wanted for Usagi to get hurt or become something like Hotaru. After all, he was her big brother, right? He wanted to protect her … even if that meant their mother would forever be blind to his desperate attempts to impress her.

But still … somewhere deep inside of him, the elation never left.

(~~)

She had to blink twice before the ceiling would come into focus and it took her three tries to push herself up to a sitting position. Serena squinted around and winced at the bright light in the room. The tile floor felt unbearably cold underneath her hands and though her wings were still cloaked by the jacket and hidden from sight, they felt sore from her sleeping on them. She stretched her arms in front of her and sighed softly before standing up. The doorknob didn't budge when she tried to turn it. 

She remembered the events prior to her unconsciousness perfectly. It made sense that the door was locked and though she was physically capable of knocking it down, Serena really had no desire to face what was on the other side at the moment. 

She turned and paced around the room, staring curiously at the bookshelves and trinkets decorating them. This was Wufei Chang's house, she reminded herself. So why were there so many crystal and glass baubles of angels and other whatnot? The books were Wufei Chang's – it was obvious from titles such as Political Theory: Decentralization and Devolution and The Metaphysical Magic: Analysis and Interpretation – but the decorations … they screamed of a woman's presence. 

Serena turned to the bookshelf on the other side of the room and leisurely walked over to it, examining more decorations next to the volumes of heavy reading. She gazed curiously at the picture frame, flipped over so that the picture was no longer visible and reached over to pick it up. A small cry of surprise disrupted the consummate silence of the room as she stared at the photograph. 

"You're awake."

She promptly dropped the frame and whirled around, heart pounding like a frightened rabbit's. The tinkle as the protective glass shattered barely registered in her head as she met a pair of dark blue eyes that made the room suddenly seem so much colder.

(~~)

"Nobody has come," Quatre said quietly, not bothering to glance over at Trowa. "You can go sleep if you want." He smiled. "You look tired. I'd order you to go sleep if I were certain you would obey me."

There was absolute silence and for a second he thought perhaps Trowa had inadvertently fallen asleep. Quatre glanced over at his friend and blinked at the deep frown on Trowa's usually blank face. "Trowa?"

"They found out about it. They know I'm here."

Quatre's eyes widened. "That's not very likely, is it? I mean … there are so few people allied with Relena Darlian … and it would take a fairly powerful mage to get an image of us without your knowing … Aren't you overestimating them a bit, Trowa?"

Trowa shook his head forlornly. "It's very easy to do actually. After all, though I have magic, I don't have Hiiro's superb senses and intuition. It is very likely that somebody watched me come into your house."

Quatre suppressed an involuntary shudder. He was ashamed to admit that he was genuinely afraid. Not of what might happen to him, because Trowa was here and fully capable of protecting the two of them, but of what could have happened to him had Trowa not come when he did.

Then it wouldn't have been Trowa's feigned ominous voice threatening him. It would have been for real. It would have been a stranger's cold, deranged voice ordering him not to move a muscle.

(~~)

"You don't mind, do you?" The man with the coldest eyes she had ever seen in her life didn't wait for her answer before lighting the cigarette and breathing in the noxious fumes. She wrinkled her nose in disdain but was relieved that he had broken the long silence. 

He walked over to the two couches surrounding a coffee table in the center of the small library and sat down before motioning to the other sofa and barely glancing at her. She frowned but walked over as well, sitting gingerly. 

"Do you want to take off your jacket?" He sounded genuinely courteous had it not been for the vacuous, expressionless quality of his eyes. She shook her head. He didn't need to see her wings yet.

He shrugged and breathed out opaque smoke. "Is there anything you want to say?"

She bit her lip and glanced around the room uncertainly. This man perplexed her. She felt no hostility from him. In fact, she didn't feel anything from him. "The … the picture over there … when was it taken?"

His eyes flickered to the shattered glass. "About fifteen years ago, I believe. It was a while ago."

She held her breath as he breathed out another cloud of smoke. "Do you know the girl in that picture?"

"Yes. She was very close to Wufei Chang at that time." His expression still hadn't changed.

"S-so…" She paused and wondered whether or not she wanted to press on. "So … do you know her name?"

"Wufei doesn't like to talk about her."

Her anxious expression fell to one of disappointment and her shoulders drooped. "Oh." 

He stared at her and cocked his head. "The girl's name, huh? Relena Darlian."

(~~)

"Duo? Duo!"

He cracked one eye open and caught sight of a pair of wide, violet ones. Groaning, he turned his head away and resumed sleeping. 

"Duo … do you know what happened to Serena?" Hotaru's worried voice broke past the heavy dust of sleep. He reluctantly opened both eyes and sat up in the chair. His arms felt numb from his head resting on them. 

"Of course I don't know. Only Mother knows so go away and ask her instead," he snapped crankily. He had always felt annoyed in Hotaru's presence. It was as if he were afraid her weakness would rub off on him.

"Oh." Her voice trembled and she looked ready to cry. "Thanks anyway, Duo." She walked out of his room and he sighed in relief.

"Weak, weak … always weak," he muttered to himself before shrugging carelessly and yawning. It wasn't his problem.

(~~)

"You're not very special at all, are you? I was afraid the White Witch would send somebody formidable but…" 

Serena stiffened at the condescending tone. 

"During this period, a normal person would have attempted to escape at least once. You're either exceptionally stupid or exceptionally cowardly … or maybe a combination of the two." His face remained impassive. "I wonder why the White Witch would send somebody like you after Wufei Chang … does she think that little of us?"

She couldn't come up with a biting retort. The man opposite of her had moved on from his first cigarette to his second and was ignoring the fact that she was trying to suppress coughs.

"So what is going to happen to me?"

His eyes refocused on her. "Well, we are hoping to get information out of you about the White Witch and her allies."

She frowned. "I'd never give away information about Mother!"

He raised an eyebrow. "Mother…" he muttered softly to himself and engraved the incident in his mind. 

"We don't expect you to give away information." He crushed the second cigarette in the ashtray. "We plan on forcing it out of you."

It was the first time Serena had seen the stranger smile and she decided she'd much rather see a permanent frown on his face. *


	7. Painful Reality

Chapter Seven: Painful Reality

Every moment that the clock ticked, every second that the hollow pendulum crashed against the wooden sides of the old grandfather clock felt like another step towards eternity. Musty books gave the air the rotted stench of decay and dust, and time seemed to beat relentlessly against the two men who paced anxiously around the room. Finally, Quatre threw his hands up into the air and flopped down into a big armchair near a now cold fireplace.

"Trowa, we've been in here all night, and it's now four-thirty in the morning. I don't really think that pacing around in here is going to help any."

"You know you need to stay in here anyway, we can't take the risk that the night isn't quite over yet."

"And Wufei? What about him?"

"You know Yui will watch over him. Besides, Chang isn't without his own devices for self-defense. That man knows how to disarm more men with his hands alone than I know curses for killing."

"And what's he to use when he comes up against a curse? Obviously no hand to hand combat is going to be effective when fighting a hex." Quatre looked at his tall friend pointedly. Trowa paused, then glanced down at Quatre. His blonde friend had obviously been putting much thought—leading to much worry—into how his political comrade was surviving the night with assassins out to get him.

"Quatre, is it that hard to believe, that both Chang and Yui can fight against whatever assassin that hag Relena sends to get them? Chang and Yui? Logically, I feel sorry for our assassin more than I fear for anyone's life."

"Trowa, they are, after all, only humans. Even Yui, yes, no matter how well versed he is in spells, incantations, and the dark magiks, is only human. You are a sourcer, Relena is a witch. I've seen vampires, I've seen goblins, and I've even seen a werewolf—before he was completely transformed of course—Nonetheless, I have to say that even Yui is only human compared to whatever Relena's deranged mind can possibly concoct for an assassin. For all we know she sent a hybrid of some hideous creatures she found in a spell book that can rip out a human's eyes without blinking and eat their innards!" Quatre wearily raised a hand to his face and rubbed the bridge of his nose right between his eyes. Trowa caught a glimpse of the bloodshot and tired look Quatre wore engrained on his face, and sighed.

"Why don't we end this right now. I'm sure that neither Chang nor Yui have gone to sleep tonight, both are too hell bent on being vigilantes in this situation, so let's just call they up and find out what's been going down over there." The suggestion had an instant effect.

"Excellent idea Trowa!" Quatre jumped up smiling slightly. "Why didn't I think of that?"

"You were too busy mulling over the ways in which Relena could kill them?" Trowa deadpanned. Quatre shot him a sarcastic look and rolled his eyes.

"Funny. Should I just ring Wufei's home, or does Yui have a preference of cell phones…?"

"Just the home phone." Trowa nodded. Quatre picked up the receiver and dialed the number he had memorized, making sure he had pushed the speakerphone button so Trowa could listen and participate as well. Three long rings, and half of a fourth ring. A message machine picked up. Quatre stood still, worried at what that could mean. Had the two of them been murdered? Were they tied up an unable to reach the phone? Had they been…As the message machine beeped, the phone clicked and a human voice could be heard on the other end of the line.

"Hello?"

"Wufei, it's Quatre Winner."

"Winner, how are you? Seems like you survived your night of assassinations. Not very bright, is this White Witch bitch?" Quatre winced at Wufei's language, but Trowa merely smirked.

"Chang, sounds like you and Yui have things under control." Trowa chimed.

"Better than under control. We actually caught the little thing as she tried to sneak into my bedroom. Seems you and Yui had your information switched, they came after me tonight, which probably means that Winner, you'll be tomorrow tonight." Wufei laughed, and Quatre gave a nervous blast.

"Probably." He agreed nervously with Wufei. "So you actually caught… her, did you say? A woman? Just an ordinary woman?" Trowa frowned at Quatre's question. He wanted to know too, just a woman?

"Just a woman. At least as far as I know. We're not sure how she got past security yet; the only way we knew she was in the house is because of Hiiro and his insistent personality. He checked the entire house over, nonstop, from the moment he walked into the front door. If he hadn't happened to be upstairs, and he hadn't happened to have stopped to look at that picture I have of Relena the way she was a few years ago, then he never would have heard her coming in. It really was luck, and nothing more that let us catch her. Anyway, I'm sure Yui's up there knocking some sense into the little thing right now."

"Remind Yui not to kill her—we may need her cooperation to find exactly where the White Witch is hiding." Trowa reminded the Chinese man.

"I'll try. But she did try to kill me… it might slip my memory as I decide I want my revenge."

"She didn't actually get the chance to try to kill you Wufei," Quatre broke in. "She only got to the breaking and entering part, so try not to kill her, okay?"

"You're too damn soft-hearted Winner." He paused, then sighed. "I'll see what I can do. I can only make promises on my part—I wouldn't dare dream of stopping Yui if he had his heart set on something. But then, I'm sure you all understand that."

"We understand." Quatre nodded. "Good luck break her in then Wufei, I'll see you tomorrow at the offices." With that, the three hung up their phones.

"Well, feel better now Quatre?" Trowa asked his friend. The blonde nodded, and tiredly smiled.

"At least I know everyone's safe for tonight."

"You can go to sleep now you know, now that we've stopped the assassin, she can't come tomorrow night the way she was supposed to. Just rest."

"There's a guest room down the hall from—"

"From you, second on the left. I know Quatre; I've been here enough. I'll sleep too." With that, the two men left their barricaded cell and went up to their new rooms of dreams and freedom.

)(

"I suggest you reconsider forcing anything out of me." Serena paused. It would be a cold—no, frozen—day in hell when she let anyone besides her Mother order her around. Come to think of it, pigs would have to fly before she let anything slide. It wasn't as if she couldn't handle a beating. She'd been near death and back more times than she could count, she hadn't ever, not once, broken. This time would be no different. Except, this time it wasn't her Mother testing her, preparing her for reality—this was the reality. This was the real and true-life version of what she had trained and prepare for her whole life. This was what counted the most. And she would succeed—no questions or doubts laced her mind.

"Reconsider?" The man before her cracked his knuckles.

"All right then, do your worst." Serena managed a smirk. "Beat me to death if you like. Go right ahead. But do reconsider—because once you start, this will become a personal vendetta."

"You have me shaking in fear." His cold voice whispered, breath frosting the air around him as though it were mid-December.

"You should be." Serena narrowed her azure eyes and gazed into his own piercing prussian orbs. "I can make your life a miserable, living nightmare. Touch me, and all hell will break loose. Ever seen hell?"

"I hear it's lovely in the summer time." He growled. Was this little bitch trying to intimidate _him_? Was she very serious? Because from his point of view it looked like a simple gust of wind could knock the frail girl in front of him off her feet and onto the ground. And he was far more than a gust of wind—he was a hurricane who was terribly upset at the moment because a little waterspout thought she could possibly intimidate him. Without waiting for her to respond, he began to advance upon her. Noticing she stood her ground firmly and without flinching, he nodded to himself. It would be fun to break her. She seemed so sure now, when he wasn't actually causing pain. But the moment he began, he knew, she would dissolve into tears and tell him everything he wanted to know.

"Let's start with something fairly simple. Tell me, my little vindictive waterspout, what is your name?" Serena remained silent. Her eyes were glued to his form as he circled her like a vulture would a dead carcass. "What's your name little girl?" He growled.

She frowned, but never wavered. He raised his hand and smacked her across her face hard. Serena made no sound; simply rolled with the punch and took the pain in silently. He frowned. Grabbing her arms, he pulled them behind her back and swiftly, before she knew it, bound them together with a piece of electrical wire. "Once again, name!" His voice made her skin crawl.

"Go to hell." She spat in his eye. Hiiro carefully brushed the salvia away from his eye, slightly amused at the fact that she had aimed straight for his face and actual hit him on target. Then he grabbed her hair and began to drag her around the floor by it. Making sure to kick her a few times hard in the stomach, he held her up to face him once more.

"Name!" He demanded. Serena coughed, but said nothing. Hiiro cracked his knuckles. All right. She hadn't cracked as easily as he had expected. Then again, she had been sent by the White Witch, she couldn't have really been weak in the first place.

"Having fun Yui? I see you've already begun to question her." The door opened and shut quickly, locking sound following quickly.

"Out Chang. She wanted you dead, not a good idea to have you in here with her." Hiiro glared at his comrade.

"I don't think it matters much right now, it looks as though you've got everything under control Yui. She doesn't even look threatening."

"She isn't. I'm just beating the information out of her, and then we'll dispose of her."

"I'm to remind you that we need her for the location of the White Witch, Trowa's request."

"If I beat it out of her first, then we won't need her when we go to collect Darlian. She's a disposable commodity once I'm through with her, did you remind Winner and Barton of that?" Wufei grimaced. Yui was too dark for him sometimes. Even he, an excellent fighter and man who enjoyed watching all sorts of pain and torture, did not consider any human lives to be of an expendable nature.

"I gave them my word I wouldn't kill her. I also warned them that I had nothing to say where you were concerned. They understood, of course."

Serena, whom had been left sitting in the dark on the ground, listened to this exchange with interest. Yes, she was in mild pain. But this was just the beginning of the torture and hell she had been put through in training, so her mind and wits were still about her enough to fully comprehend the conversation that the two were holding before her.

She had already learned two new and interesting facts which would be of importance to her—one, Relena Darlian and her Mother were one in the same person, and two, all four of these men, Chang, Yui, Winner, and Barton, were all somehow connected with each other. To succeed in her mission, she might end up having to kill all four, with or without Duo's help. Barton… that man had the same last name as she did. Common names like that often threw her for a loop. She had never met another Serena, or Duo, but she had met plenty of Maxwellses and Bartonses. Back to the task at hand…

Her glazed over eyes picked out the form of Chang Wufei in the dark, and then zeroed in on him. Refocusing, she used her highly tuned senses to sharpen her vision and enhance her strength. As the men talked lightly, forgetting about their hostage, she worked her wrists in the knot. Finally, knowing time would run out soon, she whispered a few choice words, and a small flame leapt into the palm of her hand. Allowing the fire to spread to the rope, she felt the searing heat as the flickering orange, yellow, and blue flames baked, burned, and sizzled her skin along with the cord. As soon as the rope had burned enough to be weak, she managed to break out of the binding and lay back on the flames, smothering them from the sight of either man.

Knowing her weapons had been taken from her, she sought out a new form of pain inducing and death inviting toys. Memory plagued her, and she quickly scooted over the where she had dropped the picture and broken the glass earlier in the evening. Choosing a large sliver of jagged glass, she pretended to moan in pain. Momentarily both men looked at her, as if to be entertained by her human plight, but when they saw she had clammed up once more, they too turned back to there conversation. Just as she had hoped, now all their attention was focused away from her and on each other. Now was the time to strike.

Leaping gracefully and using a large push from her wings below her coat, Serena dove for Chang Wufei. Gracefully she slid through the air right past him, screaming in effort as she raked the clear glass shard through the soft, pliable flesh of his neck and main artery. Blood sprayed everywhere, and her had become covered in the thick, oozing liquid.

Hiiro, taking swift action, forgot about her and ran to the falling body of Wufei. Catching him before he hit the ground, he held the man in a slightly upright position and plugged the gash with his two fingers, thus stopping the blood flow. The nick had not been deep enough to completely sever the artery; just enough to nick it and create a substantial blood flow.

"I told you not to mess with me!" Serena shrieked. "No matter, my task is complete." With that, she turned and ran for the door. Instantly crashing through it, she made her way down the corridor, to where Hiiro could not tell. But he had more pressing matters to attend to.

"Shit! Wufei, stay awake!" He commanded. The Chinese man tried to speak, but only gurgled words and exclamations of pain and discomfort came from his mouth. Hiiro pulled out a small silver vile and, one handed, popped the cork which stopped the liquid inside from pouring out. Dumping it over the wound, he had to hold Wufei down as he writhed in pain. Sizzling and bubbling occurred instantly, and the smell of burning flesh wafted through the air. But it was not enough. Though it had been just a nick, it still spanned the whole of Wufei's neck, and closing one artery would not stop all of the bleeding. From him other pocket Hiiro pulled out a small black cell phone.

"911? I need an ambulance at the Chang mansion… he's alive but in critical condition… his throat was slashed by an intruder…"

Sorry this took so long everyone! But it's here, and that's what's important! I hope you all like it so far; Angellight88 and I have been working very hard on it! Please review and tell us both what you think! Much love, Vixen


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